In “Ron Paul For The Republican Nomination” Andrew Sullivan explains with clarity exactly why Ron Paul is the best choice on the Republican field this election cycle. Although I disagree with him on some points (specifically, I think his comment that “McCain, along with Lieberman, still seems to believe that expending even more billions of dollars to prop up and enable a fast-devolving, ethnically toxic, religiously nutty region is somehow in American interests.” misjudges he totality of Islam, though it is spot-on with regards to at least a portion), by and large, he’s got it!
But the deeper reason to support Ron Paul is a simple one. The great forgotten principles of the current Republican party are freedom and toleration. Paul’s federalism, his deep suspicion of Washington power, his resistance to government spending, debt and inflation, his ability to grasp that not all human problems are soluble, least of all by government: these are principles that made me a conservative in the first place. No one in the current field articulates them as clearly and understands them as deeply as Paul.
I am still not convinced about Paul. I do like the fact he is honest, even if it hurts his chances to secure a Republican nomination, but I am concerned about his ability to impliment his ideas. Too often you see high minded politicians with great ideas who, when elected, end up being conformed to the system. The ultimate problem that needs to be faced is a revolution of the political process in America. I am not in favor of abloishing the electoral clloege but it needs reform. Also all restraints on third party candidate need to be lifted. If a person wants to run let them run. Don’t try to prevent them from getting on the ballot. The governor’s race in California, after Grey Davis was recalled, is an example of what I am talking about. There were I think more than 100 people who ran for the post. All of them got on the ballot. Let it be that way nationally. There should be no fear of too many candidates. The more opinions being expressed can only help the process because everyone will be challenged to fully express themselves.
You’re absolutely right … on his own, Ron Paul as president is not going to be able to implement any sort of significant reform at the federal level, though having an advocate of Libertarian, Constitutionalist, and sound economic principles in such a highly visible office may help get things done.
But, in order for any real, lasting reform to take place, the Paul supporters absolutely have to transform the energy behind his campaign into momentum that results in them electing like-minded folks (or even themselves) into offices at every level … and we have to keep the conversation going. Personally, I think that all of Ron Paul’s ideas can be explained in a simple, logical manner that would make sense to most people … because at its core, the message is government intervention (whether in domestic policy, foreign policy, economics, or whatever) means the expansion of government power, which is at odds with liberty, because there is always a delicate balance between the two.
The other problem we face is actually implementing the things he stands for. Sure, we can all talk a good talk about shrinking the size of government, but when it comes to making the government actually spend responsibly and cut back on wasteful programs, and moving towards a freer market and sound money, it’s going to hurt … and we don’t like to take our bitter medicine. But, we have to, for our own good.